Finland’s New 34 Year Old Prime Minister Sanna Marin Becomes World’s Youngest Head Of Government

Finland has elected Sanna Marin as its prime minister, making her the world’s youngest sitting head of government aged 34.

Marin leads a five-party, centre-left coalition. The four other parties in the coalition are headed by women – three of whom are also in their early 30s. The Nordic country’s Parliament, the 200-seat Eduskunta approved Marin in a 99-70 vote. The government has a comfortable majority of 117 seats.

President Sauli Niinisto will formally hand Marin her mandate later today, after which she will officially become prime minister. The appointment allows Marin to represent Finland at the European Union summit in Brussels later this week .

Finland currently holds the bloc’s rotating presidency until the end of the year. Having emerged as Finland’s largest party in the April election, the Social Democrats were able to appoint one of their own to the post of prime minister in the Nordic nation of 5.5 million people.

The coalition of the Social Democrats, the Centre Party and three junior partners has said they are committed to the government program agreed upon after the April election and will continue in Marin’s new Cabinet.

Marin, who was number two in the Social Democrats, takes over from incumbent Antti Rinne, who stepped down a week ago after a key coalition partner, the Centre Party, withdrew its support, citing lack of trust. Rinne has said he plans to continue as party leader until a party congress next summer.